Sequatchie Cove Walden

Sequatchie Cove Creamery, Sequatchie, Tennessee. Pasteurized cow milk, soft-ripened, Reblochon-inspired bloomy rind. Lot 26049. 7 oz wheel, roughly $20 retail (~$46/lb). Successor to the ACS award-winning Dancing Fern. Rind melting away, very high funk pushing rich mushroom and culture nose into the room. Paste is soft, supple, almost silky. Despite the melt, the paste is also sticky and rich, genuinely impressive texture work. Flavor lands as butter, not overwhelming triple cream butter, more like butter on light toast. Paired with barrel-aged honey and the cheese got completely overpowered, lost all its flavor. Needs something light and airy as a pairing, not something rich. Janet Fletcher named it a 2025 Superstar Cheese and called it an unqualified success. Counter Cheesemongers said the Arnolds make the best cheeses in the country. Label tasting notes say chopped walnut, sauteed mushrooms, cultured butter. Would not buy again personally, but the craft is undeniable.